What can you write in 5 minutes flat? #FiveMinuteFriday <–Click to Tweet this

This is where a brave and beautiful bunch gather every week to find out what comes out when we all spend five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing ’em over here.

How to Join:

Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here.

Featured Five Minute Friday:

And every week I’ll pick a post that caught my eye and share it down there in my side bar – see where it says “Featured Five Minute Friday”? Yea -that could be you! Hop on over and visit some folk who make fireworks in just five minutes. They inspire me.

What They’re Saying:

I also have some Five Minute Friday stories from participants I love to share each week – I can never get over the community that has grown up over a five minute writing exercise. Last week hundreds of folk joined in a pre-party at 11pm EST on Twitter connecting with the hashtag #FMFParty and ended up trending on Twitter!

How fun is that?! Got a FMF story you want to share with us? Email me.

Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Wide…

Photo lovingly borrowed from Kristen Strong

GO

We run toward the ocean with arms wide open, hands clasped, laughing crazy on the sea wind that’s whipped hair and hearts and memories all around. The wet sand imprints on more than our toes. We run and sing with the gulls, free and full of the joy of knowing sisterhood that transcends DNA.

Words can build a bridge, a family, a community safe for everyone, just as they are. You and you and you and me, with the crooked grin and the new jeans and that belt that makes me feel the tiniest bit trendy. We run together with arms wide open and there’s always room for one more.

On the sofa later we’ll talk about being left out or worried about leaving others. We’ll cry and then someone will share more than anyone else imagined they might learn on certain topics and the laughter will peal through the living room until tears wash it all clean again and this is life.

Broken, hard, beautiful. Sand between the toes and salt on the cheeks. Women who aren’t afraid to love big, to serve hard, to hold on, to lift up, to bend down low over the feet of their sisters.

This is the body.

This is the heart.

This is the promise.

It’s never a competition in the Kingdom. It’s always a co-op.

When one flies the others fly all the higher, catching her current and soaring toward the sunset. All this glorious fire in the skies tonight. Passion to rival the heavens in the hearts of 20 girls who all still feel 17 on the inside. We are none of us there yet. We are all of us still learning make up tricks from the other. Borrowing curling irons. Practicing eye liner tricks.

This is the safe place. Inside the inside of the open arms. This is the gift. It costs nothing and everything to give. All of me for all of you. I throw back my head and laugh and run and the waves rush up my legs and the water is so much warmer than I was expecting.

STOP

OK, show us what you got! {Subscribers, you can just click here to come over and play along}